SIN, REPENTANCE, AND A CLEAN HEART
I let myself get
emotionally distraught by the way someone was acting, and what did I do about
it? The wrong thing! I started bad-mouthing the person in my mind and then it
came out of my mouth. By the end of the day, I realized I’d really messed up.
But then the Lord reminded me of the times people had said about me that I had
a pure heart. Being emotionally mean and having a pure heart just don’t go
together. So I repented. I was totally carnal in how I reacted. You know how
certain things people do really set you off, and sometimes you just don’t even
know exactly why? Well that was me. I was mad and didn’t even bother to ask
myself why I was so riled up.
Maybe it was because I was
reacting to something in myself I didn’t like? That’s often the case. We see
something we dislike about ourselves in someone else and we react to them
because it’s easier than taking the time to examine the same thing in
ourselves! But the Lord constantly gives us opportunities to change lingering sins
from the past and become the new creation in Christ that He’s called us to be. And by the way, we have at least one angel or
two, from the time of our birth, to help us to get to our final destinies. In Matthew
18:10 Jesus tells us: “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones;
for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face
of my Father which is in heaven.’” Angels to minister to us as children, and
the Bible never says they’re taken away. Think about that for a minute.
Anyway, back to my story. I
felt bad about being so weak as to let my emotions get to me, and God urged me
to go back in my mind to a time when I was around 15 years old, reading the
beatitudes in the Bible. I read Jesus teaching his disciples, saying:
“3Blessed are the
poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they that mourn:
for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the
meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they which do
hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful: for
they shall obtain mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they
shall see God. 9 Blessed are the
peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 10 Blessed are they which are
persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile
you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you
falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice,
and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so
persecuted they the prophets which were before you” ((Matt 5:3-12).
I remember thinking, “I want to be blessed;” Then
asking, “Which of these do I want the most?” Verse 8 rushed into my heart. I
wanted to see God more than anything, so I wanted to have a pure heart.
So when I was awful last week, and God
reminded me of my desire from so many years ago, I went to Psalm 51, which is where
the Lord has taken me so many times when I’m not such a nice person. It’s a
psalm that David wrote after he sinned with Bathsheba, and killed her husband.
1 “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy
lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my
transgressions. 2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and
cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions:
and my sin is ever before me.
4 “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil
in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be
clear when thou judgest. 5 Behold, I was shapen in
iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 “Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and
in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 7 Purge
me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the
bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. 9 Hide
thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.”
Psalm 51 is so great, but
verse 10 is the one that for me speaks louder than even all the rest:
10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right
spirit within me.
11 “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy
holy spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy
salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 13 Then will
I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14 “Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my
salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. 15 O
Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. 16 For
thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in
burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a
broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
18 “Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the
walls of Jerusalem. [i.e. make us strong] 19 Then shalt
thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and
whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.”
The shepherd David, who became a king, could
ask God to forgive him, create in him a clean heart, renew a right spirit
within him, and make him strong once again. We have the same privilege from the
same God who cares for us.
Love, Carolyn
I HAVE A VARIETY OF BOOKS AND BOOKLETS ON
CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN LIVING. I KNOW YOU CAN FIND SOMETHING THAT WILL RESONATE
WITH YOUR LIFE AND HEART DURING THESE CHALLENGING TIMES.
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